Sabal Dental Harlingen July 2018

July 2018

321 S. 13th St., Ste. 101, Harlingen, TX 78550 |

www.SabalDental.com

(956) 428-5300

|

Journey to Dentistry Where Do You Call Home?

I traveled all over the country on my path to becoming a dentist. I’m originally from Southern California, and my family still lives on the West Coast. When it came time for me to choose a college, I hopped on a plane to attend the University of Hawaii, where I pursued my biology degree. Like most college students, I didn’t yet know what I was going to do with my degree. Fortunately, I would attend a lecture taught

“Patients would come into the office scared and miserable and leave happy and full of relief.”

by a local dentist who spoke about her experiences. She said the biggest reason she liked dentistry is because she was able to help people who were in pain feel better right away, and help people who didn’t like something about their appearance fix it in as little as one appointment. I found that job description very appealing, and I spent the next year shadowing another dentist at their office. During that year, I discovered the lecturer hadn’t been all talk. A dentist really did get to help people quickly. I really liked that instant gratification element you don’t see in many other areas of medicine. Patients would come into the office scared and miserable and leave happy and full of relief. The dentist I shadowed genuinely enjoyed helping their patients and got to meet a lot of people every day. Being a dentist checked off a lot of boxes for what I wanted to do with my life. I made the leap and enrolled in the dentistry program at the University of Iowa. Moving from the warm beaches of Hawaii to chilly Iowa was a bit of a shock, especially when winter came and I experienced snow for the first time in years, but I had a great time. After graduating from dental school, I made a stop in Colorado for a few months to help a friend who was just starting her own practice. Then, tired of snowy winters, I made my way down to Uvalde, Texas, where I went into

the public health sector. During my three years there, I learned a lot about what it means to be a good dentist from my mentor. After my time in public health came to an end, I moved to San Antonio, where I met my husband. We got married, and just over a year later, he was transferred for work. I practiced in Brownsville for about four years before we finally found our way to Harlingen. Of all the places I’ve lived, Harlingen is one of my favorites. Yes, Hawaii had tropical beaches, but you really can’t beat the small-town feel of Harlingen. It’s a family town where you have the opportunity to get to know everyone. That’s something I really wanted for my three girls. My step- daughters are 14 and 12 and my youngest is 2, and I can see how Harlingen will be a great place for them to grow up. I’ve had the pleasure of practicing my skill in a lot of places. I look forward to meeting all of my new patients and to supporting the Harlingen community as your new dentist! – Dr. Diana Cabrera